Have you heard this term, a “Plant Based Diet”?

It’s being used in ever more ways these days, fueled by the every expanding interest in eating more nutrient rich foods, and nutrient rich diets which are plant based.

In our last post T Colin Campbell, who was on Larry King Live in the segment titled “Is Meat Safe”, used the term “Plant Based Diet” as he took part in a panel to discuss the safety of eating meat.

This post is about the plant based diet, and what it really means, particularly when making the point that is it’s not safe to be eating meat based diets. Not just because of potential contamination, but because meat based diets are not health promoting.

First a little insight:

Clearly the trend is away from meat-based diets, and toward plant based, nutrient rich diets.

Why, because animal products are nutrient poor!

Of course, not if you listen to the meat industry pundits or the Nutrient Rich Food Coalition funded largely by the beef and dairy board (both Associations who are desperate  to have their products be known as nutrient rich); or, you have such a limited definition of “nutrient rich” that you think a food simply is Nutrient Rich because it is rich in a single or series of nutrients from one or two nutrient categories. (it’s not)

We ended that last post by my saying – “In my next post I’m going to share what I think the argument Dr Campbell should have been making and what I think Dr Campbell needs to delve into next time he gets this opportunity.”

So, let’s get into it.

In the segment, Dr Campbell makes one mistake that I see plant based diet advocates make all the time.

The Chef was right, “people like animal foods”. I even like animal foods; I was brought up on them, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a healthy part of peoples diets “in significant quantities” (key words here). Just because a food may taste good and offer up some nutritional value does not mean it should be eaten in significant quantities, let alone as the base of your diet.

To make the point in an extreme way, if Krispy Kreme donuts were injected with vitamin C would it make sense to eat more of them? No.

But Plant Based Diet advocates (of which I am one) think it’s all or nothing, and promote vegan and vegetarian diets (which I support for the most part) as the definition of plant based diet and they fight that fight amongst an entire population that is largely eating animal products, likes them, has a vested interest in them (just listen to the CNN panelists) and is slow to change.

I fought that fight for years, until I realized that it’s not the best way to promote a plant based, nutrient rich diet. Suggesting that the meat industry just close shop is not the way to win friends and influence people on a mass scale and help people start making the change to a nutrient rich diet.

I understand where Dr Campbell was coming from on this, but I feel his case for eating a plant based diet could have been made based on the basic evidence of The China Study, about the detriments of animal protein and the nutrient profiles of foods alone and that, that would have been even more powerful.

First, a  “Plant Based Diet” is a plant “based” diet.

Last time I checked, ‘based’ meant something that provides the foundation for… in this case your diet. And plants need to be a  very hearty base of your diet. As The China Study – the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted- reveals (amongst thousands more, easily accessible studies, let alone common sense) without a shadow of a doubt… we need to be eating a predominantly plant- based, nutrient rich diet, upwards of 90% or more if we are going to be healthy.

The reason is, plants are where all the nutrients come from, including protein. Yes, protein!

A plant based nutrient rich diet means you are getting all the nutrients (healthy promoting protein, real food carbohydrate, essential fat, water, fiber, vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals, enzymes etc) that you need to function and perform well, from ALL the nutrient categories and you don’t get what you don’t need (saturated fat, cholesterol etc). This is is what defines a Nutrient Rich whole food!

Chicken for example, doesn’t meet (meat) that quality standard, even if raised organically.

• Almost No water,
• No fiber
• Almost no carbs
• No phytochemicals
• No Enzymes
• Yes, some vitamins and minerals
• Fat is mainly saturated
• Protein is not health promoting (causes rapid growth, rapid aging, more hormonal response, greater stimulation (coffee effect), gives off lots of toxic metabolites (even if it’s organic)…
• …

Now why would you want to “base” your diet on meat, including chicken and fish? A meat based diet is a nutrient poor diet, rich in some nutrients, but as a whole food… nutrient poor.

Wouldn’t you want to “base” your diet on nutrient rich foods first, and then if you want to eat nutrient poor foods, you eat them in smaller quantities?

Of course!

That’s the simple argument and one to get excited about!

A plant-based, Nutrient Rich diet promotes your health, takes into consideration taste and far more than protein, weight loss or dietary convenience alone to create an ideal diet which can include small amounts of animal products and still be health promoting.

You can eat small amounts of nutrient poor foods and still be eating a nutrient rich diet on a total dietary intakes basis. What constitutes “small amounts” is up for debate, but The China Study does the best job at giving us the data. I for one, eat less than 5% of my diet from animal foods and at times, will go months without eating any!

Telling people not to eat meat though is not the way to reduce the consumption of animal products which IS the objective here.

John Robbins, Author of Diet for a New America (1990) stated that a reduction in animal product consumption of a mere 10% world wide would ensure that no one in the world went hungry, simply because land resources would be better used to produce plant foods. That alone should prompt everyone on the face of the earth to consume at least 10% less animal foods and add to their base of plant foods.

Small amounts of animal products, less than 10%, are usually fine (check with your health care practitioner) when your diet is 90% Nutrient Rich whole foods based in greens, beans, fruits, raw nuts and seeds and whole grains.

Even DrFuhrman is on board with this formula and he’s the leading advocate for nutritional excellence in the world!

So why aren’t we fighting a battle we can win? Why don’t we send a message that people can digest, and take to new levels of success!

Suggesting that we eliminate the meat industry is not the way!

Remember, as Dr Campbell also said, (and I paraphrase) “the transition to a plant based diet does not and is not going to happen overnight”, but suggesting that we damn the meat industry isn’t making the right argument. Those people are putting kids through school too, and they are friends, so the mere suggestion is going to cause ridicule.

Its the economy stupid! ~Al Gore.

Clearly most of the CNN panel, were making their living from vested interests in nutrient poor nutrition (the nutritionist), production of animal foods (the pundit), the preparation of “great tasting” animal foods (the chef), or was not yet educated enough to make a stronger argument (the newbie vegetarian).

If there had been a hospital industry rep on the panel, they would have been promoting the American Heart Associations recommendations – consume  only 30% of calories from fat (animal fat), because their philosophy is also based on nutrient poor nutrition which inevitably and predictably fills hospital beds because it basically promotes a meat based diet.

If there had been a representative from the Dole company they would have been promoting fruits and vegetables, and staid out of the argument. After all they source most of the nutrient rich foods we eat.

Only those people who are truly advocates for health and are progressive in learning nutrient rich nutrition are going to be fully on board with a plant based diet; but for the sake of success, we need to get our definition straight on what it means to being eating “Plant Based” and make the process consumable.

We need to be eating a plant based diet with a goal of at least 80-90% or more nutrient rich foods. You can take it as far as you want, but this objective would truly change the health of the world and everyone in it!

I think we need to stop making the wrong argument, and start sending the message to eat more nutrient rich foods every day and then explain why. The China Study supports what basic nutrient profiles show us and that is -  it’s not how much we eat, but the qualities of the foods we eat that makes the difference.

We also need need to get aware that there are health promoting forms of protein (plant based) and those that you can survive on and also enjoy, that also happen to promote disease – protein from a meat based diet.

A 90% nutrient rich plant-based diet with smaller amounts of nutrient poor animal products (if you eat them) and even smaller amounts of nutrient barren refined foods (if you eat them at all),  is the ideal way to look at the argument.

But we don’t have to say, don’t eat animal products or refined books. At the end of the day, that’s up to people themselves. After all, people are going to do what they choose to.

Let me know your thoughts.

John Allen Mollenhauer

You may know that at NutrientRich.com, we exclusively deliver The Top 12 Findings of The China Study,  as written with the authors of this, the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.

Findings such as:

• Don’t worry too much about single nutrients, single foods, or single supplements.

• 2.Breast cancer is not just a function of fat intake.
• 3.Blood cholesterol is a predictor not only of heart disease risk, but also
  of cancer.
• 4.By adopting a nutrient rich diet and an active lifestyle, the risks for
  several diseases are reduced at the same time, without even thinking
  about it.
• 5.When a virus strikes, what you eat plays a vital role in your overall
  health.
• 6.It’s not just about how much you eat, it’s what you eat.
• 7. You can virtually eliminate your risk of heart disease,
• …
• 13. Even though many of us worry about getting enough protein, evidence
  suggests that the real danger is consuming too much protein,
  especially if it is protein from the wrong foods.

This document reveals the relationship between diet and disease and is a precursor to the book The China Study.

Since it’s publication, in 2004, T Colin Campbell has started the T. Colin Campbell Foundation and has made major strides in promoting a plant based diet all over the world.

Recently, he was on Larry King Live and that’s where this post really starts.

Note: At about min: 10:38 you’ll see Dr Campbell.

This media clip starts off talking about the e coli contamination of our meats, which were unfortunately causes of death for a number children in this case, and their parents and associates who have taken up activism as a result.

What’s so transparent about the 4-5 people on this CNN panel is the predictable perspectives of each person – that of a practical scientist who is  clearly the most properly educated person on the subject of nutrition among the panelists (T. Colin Campbell), a traditional 4-food groups nutritionist, a “chef” and a newbie vegetarian who is on and off. As well, a meat industry representative.

Each is uniquely motivated by their work and industry and the story that’s consistent with it. Each is tuned into the story reinforced by their interests. Not to imply that anyone had bad interests, but when it comes to the nutrition game, many interests may be no good for you.

Now each professional made sense, and all make interesting points at one point of another, but clearly each is not working from the same body of knowledge and experience. Here’s where you as a consumer have to do your own research, get educated and make wise decisions.

Whatever you do, do not” follow Larry Kings method for coming to conclusions about meat.

From statements about “bacon”, to outdated nutritional arguments, to industry interests, to justifying the consumption of meat based on taste, this interview is a great example why people get so confused.

I don’t think this video came even close to the real argument, which is not about complete protein, it’s not about calories, or taste, or how much money has been spent on food safety… significant amounts of animal protein promote cancer!

Significant consumption of meat (animal protein and products) also causes heart disease!… I could go on.

Have a watch of this clip – Is Meat Safe?

Let me know what you think.

And read The China Study.

Before you respond conclusively about whether meat is safe, from any perspective beyond first hand research that’s at least 20-40 years old on the subject, just share your observations like I am and let’s have a discussion.

John Allen Mollenhauer

PS: The Chef’s observation that because “we have eyes in the front of our head, long legs ’sharp teeth’ (see the tiger above and then tell me how sharp our teeth are) and can track down stupider animals to eat…” is not a very conclusive argument for whether we should be be eating a meat-based diet.

In my next post I’m going to share what I think the argument should have been and what I think Dr Campbell needs to delve into next time he gets this opportunity.

Of course, I know it’s Larry King, not the Healthy Lifestyle Expo.

Nice Job Dr Campbell!

There is a revolution taking place and it’s called the Nutrient Rich Food Revolution. People are waking up to the fact that eating nutrient poor foods are the primary cause of obesity, disease, disability and death!

More and more people are starting to eat a Nutrient Rich diet; nutrient rich foods for better health, peak performance and natural weight loss that are now more accessible.

Even the government has gotten on board with the new healthy trend in eating. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which puts out a new report roughly every 5 years, put out their last report in 2005, which indicated that most Americans consume too many foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients. To address this concern, the new Guidelines reinforced a long-standing and widely accepted cornerstone of nutrition – nutrient density, or enjoying more foods that are naturally rich in nutrients first.

What’s not understood, are the influences underlying these albeit new, dramatically improved and refreshing nutritional guidelines.

Nearly 4 years after the Jan 2005 release of the Dietary Guidelines, and in the early stages of this revolutionary consumer shift from nutrient poor to Nutrient Rich foods, companies are clamoring to label their diets and foods “Nutrient Rich.” Yet, without established standards around nutrient density or what is actually defined a “nutrient rich food”, it is difficult for the average consumer to determine if foods sold and marketed are really Nutrient Rich, let alone healthy. Meats, dairy and animal products are the foods in question.

The Naturally Nutrient Rich Food Coalition funded in large part by the beef board and dairy council, with University of Washington researcher Adam Drewnowski are working to establish a NNR (Naturally Nutrient Rich) score to label their foods as “Nutrient Rich”. NutrientRich.com applauds this effort.

It just so happens though, that meats, dairy and other animal products are the categories of foods that NutrientRich.com has declared nutrient poor – “rich in some nutrients but as whole food, “nutrient poor”.

According to the Food Class System™, animal products are second class foods that are in many ways disease-promoting when eaten in significant quantities, according to widely accepted nutritional research.

In Nutrient Rich Coalition studies, only a limited number of “nutrients” Fiber, vitamins, A, C, E Ca, K, Zn Folate, vitamin D, B 12 are referred to in determining if you are eating “nutrient rich”, even though up to 23 – 26 nutrient were used in their initial studies. John Allen Mollenhauer, founder of www.NutrientRich.com speculates that this is due to the nutrient limitations of dairy and animal products.

No doubt animal products are rich in some nutrients but as a whole food they are missing whole categories or nutrients and are very low in others, plus they include substances which the body does not need.

Two questions on consumers’ minds are:

1.    How do you determine if a food is Nutrient Rich?
2.    How do you lose weight and stay healthy eating Nutrient Rich foods?

One company committed to establishing a sound definition for a Nutrient Rich Food is NutrientRich.com, which established its Food Class System™ influenced greatly by Joel Fuhrman MD who eventually created the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index).

Backed also by the findings of the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted (The China Study, BenBella Books, 2005) and a world class lifestyle health and science advisory team; NutrientRich.com was the first to establish the 3 Classes of Foods with a basic Nutrient Density Chart and Nutrient Profile Scores representing 24 vitamins and minerals, plus Flavanoids (where there is substantial research) and subtracting those nutrients known outright to promote disease from an overall ranking.

NutrientRich.com, now a leading promoter of the research, findings and products created by Dr Fuhrman, asserts that you can still eat small amounts of nutrient poor foods and still be eating a Nutrient Rich diet, on a total dietary intake basis, but that the basis of any diet should be predominantly (90% or more) Nutrient Rich foods to eat for health, first and foremost.

To learn more about the Nutrient Rich Diet, Eat for Health training, coaching and other Dr Fuhrman products, sign up for the Nutrient Rich food revolution newsletter, the new trend in eating for health, peak performance and natural weight loss at www.NutrientRich.com

Founded by wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle trainer and coach, John Allen Mollenhauer, NutrientRich.com was developed to help free millions of people stuck in dead-end diet traps; all of which prevent otherwise motivated people from living normally and naturally, at or near their ideal weight, and free of lifestyle diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Nutrient Rich is the most successful way to eat for health, peak performance and natural weight loss.
John Allen is also the founder of the Lifestyle Coaching Center, in Livingston NJ and the creator of the Performance Lifestyle Training and Support System where clients learn the healthiest way to achieve their goals.

The title of this article is from an acquaintance of mine Rip Esselstyn.I know Rip through his father Dr Caldwell Esselstyn.

Here is an excerpt from his article Attention Athletes: Eat Your Vegetables!

Alex Rodriguez. Barry Bonds. Jose Conseco. Andy Pettitte. Jason Giambi. Roger Clemens. Baseball players in the news, all of them in hot water for using illegal substances for a competitive edge.

As a former professional athlete with friends active in all areas of sports, I know that steroids and other illicit substances have permeated just about every sport. A feeling has sprung up among athletes that if you’re not on this stuff, you’re at a disadvantage. You’re just not going to be as good as the next guy.

But the secret to hitting fifty home runs, to stealing a hundred bases, to pitching a perfect game, doesn’t involve needles or pills, the cream or the clear.

The secret is no farther away than the local grocery store, where no one needs an illegal prescription or a shady doctor. It’s right there, in the produce section, where you’ll find Nature’s naturally lean, bad-ass performance enhancers: plant foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Instead of injecting themselves with human growth hormones and steroids, instead of having those monsters coursing through their 65,000 miles of veins, arteries, and capillaries, by consuming plant-powered foods, athletes’ systems will be bursting with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, and they’ll not only be on their way to MVP seasons but also to the best health of their lifetimes.

Read More…

What is so powerful about this article, is that it’s true and reinforces the new mentality that is sweeping the nation one person at a time – that it’s your lifestyle that determines your health, how you look and feel, and perform!

So many people spend a lifetime, trying to find the magic pill or powder, some substance that will help them overcome the common ills, created unbeknownst to them, mainly by the way they eat. They think low energy, what they don’t know as poor performance due to their lack of true health, and the fight against disease are normal and natural, but they aren’t… just common because of our modern day way of life that is simply caught up and unhealthy.

What has also become common is thinking that that we need to seek performance enhancing substances to function and perform at peak, when we haven’t even begun to proactively tap the potential of our own lifestyle – how we think and live.

Of course, a big BIG part of your lifestyle is how you eat. The quality of the food you eat, whether you eat Nutrient Rich foods or nutrient poor foods is going to have a huge and compounding effect on your energy level, your health, how fit you are, and what you are able to achieve in your life.

Most people just can’t get it, that they need to change the quality of their diet, not simply seek another way to lose weight. They will naturally lose weight, when they focus on eating for health, functioning and performing better in a now more active and healthy lifestyle.

Rip Esselstyn has has it right. As the founder of www.PerformanceLifestyle.com, and author of the PerformanceLifestyle blog, this mentality is clear, near and dear to my heart and hopefully yours.

When how you live is driven by your ability to function, to have quality of life and the capacity to perform “well”, you will look at how you eat and your overall lifestyle so much differently. You will finally leave the eat less diet mentality ingrained in our heads by a diet industry that knows very little about living a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

You will learn everything you can about eating better, about eating Nutrient Rich foods and eating for health!

~ JAM
John Allen Mollenhauer

“For almost 50 years, I have designed and directed large research projects in the areas of nutrition and health.  As a result of this experience, I have come to realize that most nutrition and health information is very misleading. It is no coincidence that we now have a health care crisis which is very expensive and which compromises the quality of life for millions of Americans and others living on a Western-style diet.”  

My good friend and mentor T. Colin Campbell just went live with his foundation for plant-based nutrition, with amazing information on diet, disease and health. And what a major achievement, especially when you consider the incredible legacy leading up to the creation of this foundation that delivers online ecourses from Cornell.

T Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, besides holding just about every major policy position on nutrition in this country, is the primary author of The China Study – “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted” – New York Times.

About 5 years ago when The China Study was being written, I was privileged to be amongst a select few to share some praise for the book -

“If you’re looking to enhance your health, performance and your success read The China Study immediately. Finally, scientifically valid guidance on how much protein we need and where we should get it. The impact of these findings is enormous.”

John Allen Mollenhauer
Founder, MyTrainer.com and NutrientRich.com

This book has startling implications for diet, weight loss and long term health, not to mention the health of our planet.

For nearly 50 years he ran this study, with funding from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and findings that are so statistically significant, it earned that title of “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted”. The findings around animal protein consumption and the development of cancer alone, part of a mere 3% of the study’s findings that have been mined to date, are alone worth reading The China Study, which was written as an amazingly easy-to-read book.

You can learn more about this now bestselling book The China Study, with over 350,000 copies in print, right here. You will soon see The Top 12 Findings of The China Study, exclusively on our newly revamped website in the coming weeks, which the authors T Colin and his son Tom authored for NutrientRich.com when we launched in 2005.

Now, T Colin Campbell has done it again, with the launch of the T Colin Campbell Foundation. Here again, is the link to the foundation where you will learn sound one-of-kind-science on health and nutrition, which we will often reference here at NutrientRich.com.

I highly recommend that you take the certificate program, being offered by eCornell.

Enjoy!

~ John Allen Mollenhauer